3 Tips to Build Muscle

T’is the season to build muscle. Fa la la la la, now pass the Swedish meatballs! (<= Sounds best when sung out loud.)

After all, we can’t let all of that holiday food go to waste.

So STOP worrying about enjoying yourself and FORGET about trying to use the cardio “confessional” to burn off a few goodies…and instead, learn how to put those foodz into the musclez…and put curves in all the right spots on your body.

Here’s how:

1) Train with enough volume. There’s no exact study I can point to, but about 40 quality repetitions per muscle group seems to work in many studies for muscle growth, and this should be
done 2-3 x’s per week. Use this program.

2) Train close to failure with a weight you can lift 6-15 times. It’s possible that even higher reps work, but you just won’t get as strong.

3) Switch your program on a regular basis. Experience suggests 3 weeks for advanced and up to 6 weeks for beginner/intermediate.

Eliminate the distractions and bottlenecks in your life. Make a list and commit to eliminating one each week. Connect with your social support group and tell them about your changes. This accountability always helps.

And then…

Fix Your Mindset. You must truly believe that you are capable of success. You must truly believe that you are the type of person that follows the habits that will help you reach your goal.

You must truly believe that you are not the type of person that engages in the wrong behaviors. Once your mindset is right, your behaviors and habits will change allowing you to achieve incredible results.

So…

Identify one action that you can take TODAY that will take youcloser to your major goal.

Then take it…and make progress every day.

Stay strong, take action, and never give up on what is important to you.

Craig Ballantyne is the author of The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life. Craig has been a contributor to Men's Health magazine for over 17 years. Today he teaches his gift high-performing entrepreneurs how to squeeze more out of their days, increase their income, and make more quality time for their families in his Perfect Life Workshop and Work-Life Mastery programs. Craig used his own advice to overcome crippling anxiety attacks in 2006, and he'll teach you his 5 Pillars of Success so you can increase your income, decrease your work time, and live the life of your dreams. Learn more about Craig at craigballantyne.com

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